Chuka Umunna: Labour must put 'clear red water' between itself and the Tories on Brexit
2 min read
A senior Labour MP has urged the party leadership to put "clear red water" between themselves and the Tories by backing continued membership of the single market and the customs union after Brexit.
Chuka Umunna, who is a supporter of the pro-European Open Britain group, said remaining in both institutions was a minimum requirement "at least for the medium term".
His comments again put him at odds with Jeremy Corbyn, who said last month that being in the single market was "dependent on membership of the EU".
Speaking on Radio Four's Today programme, for Labour frontbencher Mr Umunna said: "There’s got to be clear red water between our position, the Labour party’s position, and Theresa May’s extreme, jobs-destroying Brexit position.
“To my mind, that means we absolutely do need to be arguing for the UK to remain a member of the single market and also of the customs union after we leave the European Union.”
While Mr Corbyn has said Labour wants to pursue tariff-free access to the single market, Mr Umunna suggested this would be made much more difficult by withdrawing from the single market..
“The argument is that the institutional arrangements aren’t the big issue here – it’s the goal," he said. "The problem is the means of withdrawing from the European Union and the institutional arrangements that you have of course shape those ends and goals that you wish to achieve.
“That’s why not just the TUC, not just Labour party members but business too, there is a broad consensus that we should, at least in the medium term, be seeking to stay in the customs union and the single market, but also that would be the preferable option in the long term."
In June, Mr Umunna was behind an amendment to the Queen's Speech calling for continued single market access in a move which saw 49 Labour MPs - including some frontbenchers - defy Mr Corbyn by supporting it.
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